One of the key figures in the Partisan resistance in Bosnia and Sarajevo was
the youthful Vladimir Perić, codenamed Valter (1919-45). Towards the end of he war he "revitalized
the KP's [Communist Party] urban-rural link with Partisan forces and
reconstructed the KP to resume its support of the Partisan movement with personnel,
supplies and intelligence." He was to die in the last hours of the war
in Sarajevo, on 6 April 1945. Today, his bust stands in a forlorn corner, close
to the Skenderija Bridge.

In an apocryphal scene from the 1972 film Valter brani Sarajevo (Valter
defends Sarajevo), a German officer, having been relived of his command for
failing to capture the elusive Partisan resistance leader Valter, voices
his grudging admiration for the city. "Now that I must leave Sarajevo, I finally know
who Valter is," he states. Another German officer orders him, "Then
tell me his name right now!" Sweeping his hand across the vista of the
city, the first officer answers, "You see this city? Das ist Valter!" His
last three words have been etched in the consciousness of Sarajevans ever
since. Resistance to tyranny is the very essence of the city, according to
this cinematic history lesson eagerly embraced by Sarajevans as accurately
portraying their fundamental ideals. Valter has frequently been resurrected
to personify various causes, most notably during the antinationalist and
anti-war demonstrations in March of 1992.